Brazil's President Demands U.S. Explain Alleged Spying

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff is demanding an explanation from the U.S. government following reports that the National Security Agency (NSA) spied on the Brazilian oil giant Petrobras.

In a statement issued by her office, Rousseff said that if the reports are true, the U.S. would have been spying for its own “economic and strategic” benefit, not for counterterrorism or security reasons.

The statement said Petrobras is not a threat to the security of any country. Petrobras is Brazil’s biggest company and a world leader in deep-water oil exploration.

Rousseff’s statement was issued after Brazilian Globo television reported that the NSA hacked into the computer networks of Petrobras, as well as Google and the French Foreign Ministry.

The report cited documents from former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, who is sought by U.S. authorities over leaked secret documents and currently seeking asylum in Russia.